Take a look at what a large hospital is mailing to its local residents under the guise of helpful parenting advice:

Thank you to reader Eileen C from St. Louis, MO, who shared this with me!)

In an upbeat, seemingly authoritative newsletter called Kids Today, The St. Louis Children's Hospital solicits neonatal circumcision surgery and then takes it another step farther by pushing some of the most outdated, damaging foreskin care you can find. Most parents who research the circumcision topic have probably heard of the medically inaccurate advice to retract or wash under their young child's foreskin. But this hospital had to go farther, recommending a thorough drying underneath before replacing the foreskin. It's hard to conjure up something not only more damaging, but also more torturous!

To add to the gravity, the beloved AAP which is cited several times in this small article is suddenly ignored at the end. Even the AAP has basic guidelines on caring for foreskins. You can read their statement here:

"Most boys will be able to retract their foreskins by the time they are 5 years old, yet others will not be able to until the teen years. As a boy becomes more aware of his body, he will most likely discover how to retract his own foreskin. But foreskin retraction should never be forced. Until the foreskin fully separates, do not try to pull it back. Forcing the foreskin to retract before it is ready can cause severe pain, bleeding, and tears in the skin."

Parents: this kind of marketing to drum up circumcision business at a big hospital just goes to show that you have to be the one to take charge. Do the research. Be prepared. Don't expect hospitals and doctors to choose the health of your son over their business needs. It's still buyer beware for the consumer, even when it comes to doctors and hospitals.